5 slashers to watch before Scream 7

With Scream 7 set to release in theaters on February 27, now is a great time to watch other slasher movies in preparation. Since the first film released in 1996, Scream made a name for itself with its meta qualities and awareness of the horror genre, specifically slasher tropes. Here are five slashers to check out before the new movie.

In a Violent Nature (2024)

In a Violent Nature owes a lot to the Friday the 13th franchise, especially with its summertime, woodsy setting. The slow-burn movie initially debuted at Sundance and was quickly acquired by IFC and Shudder. Imagine if we followed Jason Voorhees for the entirety of a Friday the 13th movie and saw everything from his perspective. That's much of what In a Violent Nature achieves, though instead of Jason, we follow a masked killer simply known as Johnny. He walks in the woods.... a lot. Yet, the film includes some incredibly grisly and innovative kills, especially the yoga scene. You have to give In a Violent Nature credit for doing something different with the subgenre and changing the typical POV. This is Johnny's movie through and through. We learn little to nothing about his victims.

In a Violent Nature 2 just wrapped production, and the original movie is streaming on Shudder.

Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives (1986)

Speaking of Friday the 13th, years before Scream included its meta qualities, there was Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, the final movie in the Tommy Jarvis trilogy. By this point in the franchise, writer/director Tom McLoughlin knew he needed to do something different. This is an incredibly self-aware movie, to the point that Jason even gets a James Bond opening. He walks to the center of the frame like 007, turns towards the camera, and wields his machete. It's great! This is also the first appearance of zombie Jason. After Tommy (Thom Matthews) accidently resurrects him, Jason rises from the crypt, with maggots dripping from his eye sockets. It's my favorite opening sequence in the franchise. Since this year marks the movie's 40th anniversary, now's a great time for a first-watch or rewatch. The movie also has several nods to the Universal Monters and quite a Gothic aesthetic, at least compared to the many other sequels.

Jason Lives, along with other Friday the 13th movies, are currently streaming on Pluto TV for free.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Here's another slasher that successfully blends the horror with the humor. Nice and normal-looking Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) is obsessed with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy. Because of this, Leslie decides to follow in the footsteps of his heroes and invites a documentary filmmaker (Angela Goethals) and her crew to follow him as he formulates his grisly plan and legacy. This movie also features a fun part by Freddy himself, Robert Englund, as Doc Halloran.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is available to stream on AMC + and available to rent on other major streaming platforms.

The Final Girls (2015)

Here's another self-aware horror comedy, and this one has plenty of heart. The movie stars Taissa Farmiga as Max Cartwright, who grieves her mother, Amanda (Malin Akerman), who just happened to be an 80s scream queen and feared she'd never outlive that role. After Max accompanies her mom to an audition, they get in a car accident, and Amanda dies. Eventually, Max and other high schoolers are transported to the 1980s summer campground set of her mom's most famous movie, Camp Bloodbath. There, they have to outsmart the killer, and Max reunites with the 80s version of her mom. The movie has plenty of great kills, an emotional mother/daughter narrative, and lots of laughs.

The Final Girls is currently streaming on The Roku Channel and Prime Video. It's also available to rent on most major streaming platforms.

Scream (1996)

Since Scream 7 once again focuses on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and also features Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), it's probably a good time to revisit the original movie, since, judging from the trailer, the latest sequel deals a lot with legacy. The seventh film also marks the return of the original writer, Kevin Williamson, this time in a directing role. That's even more reason to revisit the initial film, since it's likely William will interrogate it and the franchise's legacy more broadly. Williamson recently promised that the new movie will be gorier and less meta than previous entries.

Scream and its sequels are streaming for free on Pluto TV this month. Scream 7 releases in theaters on February 27.